Mark Davis ’embarrassed, disappointed’ in team’s play

Raiders owner Mark Davis consented to a group interview with the media about 30 minutes after his team lost for the third straight time, 38-17 to the New Orleans Saints on Sunday at the Coliseum.
Davis was cordial, candid and and passionate in answering myriad questions about the state of his team, the status of head coach Dennis Allen and general manager Reggie McKenize, his expectations and much more. Here’s the entire transcript:

Q: How do you beat Pittsburgh, play Atlanta tough and then have this happen?
Mark Davis: “The word regression.”

Q: Is this a rebuilding season?
A: “Not as much. I don’t know what the word would be. I know that we didn’t have the talent, at the beginning of the year, to be a Super Bowl team. I thought that we had definitely potential to get maybe in the playoffs and beat our division. Obviously, that hasn’t happened.”

Q: Do you still feel as if your team can turn it around this season?
A: “Take it game by game, but I don’t know. I know they’re going to fight.”

Q: What do you say to the players?
A: “I didn’t say anything to ‘em. Let the coaches talk to em. I talked to Reggie (McKenzie, general manager).”

Q: What were the goals heading into the season?
A: “Finding a direction for the franchise, moving forward and seeing progress week to week would have been a happier time right now. But that’s still possible.”

Q: What kind of a challenge did you face with a first-time owner, rookie head coach, rookie general manager, salary cap issues, lack of draft picks, etc.?
A: “It’s absolutely a challenge.”

Q: Has the challenge been more daunting than you expected?
A: “No, I wouldn’t say that. I wouldn’t say that. Again, it’s just the results of the game. You win or lose. We haven’t been winning, and it hasn’t been close the last three weeks.”

Q: Did you see depth as being an issue going into the season? Salary cap issues hamstring your team?
A: “As I said, coming in I didn’t know that we had a Super Bowl team and everything, but you can’t blame it on the salary cap and all that. You have players and you coach ‘em and you play. You got to be Raiders.”

Q: Is it time to give other quarterbacks a shot other than Carson Palmer?
A: “That’s up to the coaches. That’s not my decision. I have opinions but I’m not going to speak ‘em.”

Q: The players say that they aren’t giving up on the season? Your thoughts?
A: “Absolutely. Absolutely. I’m just saying right now I’m a little disappointed with the regression. But, like I say, they’ll fight.”

Q: How frustrated are you?
A: “I couldn’t put it on a 1 to 10 (scale). I’m not happy, I’ll put it that way. But why should I be? Why should we be? Why should anyone in this room be? But they’’ll fight and fix it.”

Q: Do you talk to coach Dennis Allen and general manager Reggie McKenzie much during the week?
A: “I talk to Reggie quite a bit, yeah.”

Q: About business?
A: “Everything.”

Q: Do Reggie and Dennis get a pass this year?
A: “Like I say, I’m patient. I’m patient. But I want to see progress. I don’t want to see regression. Nobody does. And that’s why I’m unhappy today. But as far as a pass, I wouldn’t call it a pass. They’ve got contracts; they’re going to be here.”

Q: Did you say you just had surgery?
A: “Yeah, I had back surgery.”

Q: What did they do for your back?
A: “It’s been a two-year process. I had a sciatic nerve problem, a pain in my ass. And I had surgery five months ago, and it didn’t fix it. And, then, so they took pictures again, they found a big cyst-tumor right on the sciatic nerve.”

Q: Why didn’t they find it the first time?
A: “So I’m feeling a lot better.”

A: So it’s all healed?
A: “Well, not totally. January 1 I can start working out. The triplets go away then. I deliver. But again, it’s a sad day today. The last three weeks have been sad, but we’re going to fight. That’s what it is. And we’ll see what happens.”

Q: Are you involved in choosing people to light the torch?
A: “Yes, I am.”

Q: Couple people who your dad had issues with, eh?
A: “Maybe some people thought they were unresolved feelings, but (they are) very close to my mom and myself. And part of the Raider family. And once a Raider, always a Raider. I’ve had trouble with my dad at times. Once or twice. But it’s fantastic. These people are all part of our family, and love ‘em. It’s a good thing.”

Q: Encouraged by fact that fans are still here?
A: “Love it. Absolutely love it, but I apologize to them as well. I’m embarrassed for ‘em. Because they live and die as Raiders fans, and I feel for ‘em, I really do. And we’re going to get it right. If it’s for anybody, it’s for them.”

Q: You heard the boos?
A: “I didn’t hear the boos, no. But I can just feel how they feel, because I feel the same way. I’m a fan. And I take responsibility for it, going to get it right.”

Steve Corkran

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Hey Mark, I’m not patient withthis current crop of so called Raider players. As the owner, you fell the fans! The product spoiled the day Spuds walk into the front door. Granted spuds should evaluated and not fire the Hue on the first day, should have kept Jason Campbell, developed Terrrell, gotten a better DG, OC, and tradedd the QB! You don’t have to put up big numbers to be sucessfull!! Get rid of Heyward-Bey and others whom can’t get open and play to win for this team! Better yet just like KC fire the whole team at the end of the season! Grandpa had a better team from the last two season then you did this year. You’re patient, but how long are the fans?

RaiderSam

Mcfadden20. Says:
November 18th, 2012 at 11:59 pm
Dr_robert Says:
November 18th, 2012 at 11:55 pm
Mcfadden20. Says:
November 18th, 2012 at 11:51 pm
I would stick with Palmer, if they can get a #1 receiver and better Oline… And if they can get 2 players always threat to get a sack and 1 good secondary ballhawk and MLB , otherwise there’s no point wasting his talents in here
*************

that’s my point. i was really happy when we got him. i think he’s been heroic to put up the numbers he’s had, while constantly under immediate pressure, always throwing while falling back, cuz the pressure is there so quick, and playing with a hodgepodge of young, not-quite-there receivers. if we can get some good picks, he might need to be traded. i mean we really need to go into the drafts with 12 picks. a couple in each round. just an influx of new talent.

—
I really like him to succeed here, he kinda embraced this team, and would love to see him throwin to better receivers behind a better o line and with better D , but I wouldn’t be mad to see him gone to a better team if we can’t give him better support

———

Would anyone forgo a pass rusher at one, and take Cal’s Keenan Allen – a true no. 1 receiver..?

RaiderSam

CVRaider Says:
November 18th, 2012 at 7:30 pm
Harbaugh changed S.F in one season, same players, ALL COACHING
Gruden took the Bucs who cold never win a playoff game to champs in one season, ALL COACHING
Peyton took an inept saints tan to Super Bowl champs in just a fewseasons, ALL COACHING
Jimmy Johnson 1-15 to 2 super bowls, and players admit they should have won 2 more but didnt after he left, ALL COACHING
Patriots were the joke of the NFL before Parcells got there, went to a super bowl. Pete carrol.sent them backwards, Bellicek shows up, need i say more, ALL COACHING
Tom Caughlin took a.talented but underachieving team when he got there to TWO S.B. wins. ALL COACHING
Bill Walsh…… Niners.were.garbage before he got there, ALL COACHING.
Cower had slash, and pick city odonnel as.QB, was still good for so many years, ALL COACHING
The exception to the rule is Ray Lewis, but he might as well be a coach cause Billick wasnt.that good.

All these coaches coached hard, preached discipline and would get the very best out of their players. So no, lets no trade Dmac, Palmer or anybody that is good, lets get the right coach.

———–

Harbaugh inherited a fairly good defense with a drafted nucleus that included ILB Patrick Willis, S Dashon Goldson, Justin Smith , then they added Navarro Bowman and free agent Carlos Rogers really took off. with a pass rusher like Aldon SMith, the defense was set, and Harbaugh pretty much is the main credit behind calming Alex SMith down and getting him in a caretaker position with the offense.

In the Raiders case, they had a no.1 pick overall that was a BUST. Almost NO team EVER comes back from that. – it took San Diego six years, and several great picks to recover from Ryan Leaf…Cleveland is STILL struggling after Tim Couch.

Very few teams survive from the top position if they have taken a bad QB, plus a meddlesome owner, very simplistic, and easily adjustable defense with no explosive edge rusher and several modest busts and full bust picks, having passed over Ben Rothelisberger and Jay Cutler AND Aaron Rodgers (who could forget Fabian Washington over him in 2005?)

Dropped TD passes in the endzone…. the 13th of the year if you count the pre season. On our second kick off return our returner has a huge hole, a sure TD, and he trips on a blade of grass. Thats 14 pts we should have had. By the time we finally score, we could have been up 21-7. But thanks to more poor route running by Denarius “I cant run my routes” Moore, we spot them another 7. Then we give up a 38 yard bomb on a 3rd and 13 that gives them another 7.

21-7 at the half. Except its the complete opposite of the way it should be……………

RaiderSam

Let me say this Palmer wasnt worth the price Hue Jackson gave up. But he is surrounded by an inferior cast. The Raiders are in the running to be the worst defense in NFL history in terms of points allowed. How many quarterbacks can overcome that? Tom Brady? Peyton Manning?

Coaching wise, this is supposed to be a younger, more adaptive staff, right? At 3-6 and basically out of the playoff picture, logic would say you play like you have nothing to lose. Instead, the Raiders stuck to the same things they have in the first nine games. There was nothing new or exciting or different or novel that the Saints saw. And as the game went on, they just got more and more aggressive knowing the Raiders had no tricks or adjustments – maybe the injuries or limited staff led to that? I dont know.

DaRaiders022

Folks, this team has gone from bad to disaster!

Allen = Clueless
Knapp = More Clueless
Tarver = Lost
Hoffman = Incompetent
McKenzie = Beyond Clueless
Offensive Line = Inept
Defensive Line = Tired
McFadden = Overrated
Special Teams = Comedy
Recievers = Afraid
Palmer = Inconsistent
And to top this off, why do we punish ourselves with Huff…he can’t play FS or CB in the dust chasing receivers! Season has been over since week 4. Nothing to watch but how much more regression happens!

beach

Raider Riff is very accurate. I would keep Tommy Kelley and D. Moore and Streater, though. We need a veteran WR to come in, obviously. Seymour better retire.

beach

Brandon Meyers will be fine, too. He cost us 7 yesterday, but be patient. He is a good TE. Fixing both lines and the cornerback situation comes first!

violator57

It’s about time,now when the TEAM’S owner admits he’s PISSED some people had better WAKE UP. Can’t agree more that this TEAM has UNDER ACHIEVED for too many seasons since our last visit to the Super Bowl,and we the FANS just get EXCUSES and “LIP-SERVICE” time after time.Time to take out the garbage!!The LOYAL and DIE-HARD fans desrve better than we’ve been subjected to.Either the responsibilty is too much for these guys or they think we’re FOOLED when they just half-ass perform.ENOUGH ALREADY!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!